


High School is Overrated

by idontknowwhattopickforausername



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Eventual Katara/Zuko (Avatar), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gaang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar)-centric, One-sided Aang/Katara (Avatar), POV Katara (Avatar), Past Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Slow Burn, Slow Burn Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zutara Week, Zutara Week 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25886440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idontknowwhattopickforausername/pseuds/idontknowwhattopickforausername
Summary: The last couple of months had been rough for Katara. Actually, more like the past couple of years. Sophomore year better be good.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Modern high school  AU following Katara as she enters her sophomore year and deals with her mother's death, teen angst and frustration, finding her place in the world, typical high school drama and not to mention her not so typical feelings towards a certain angsty upperclassman. A slow burn Zutara fic with lots of bonus fluffy Sukka.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 23
Collections: Zutara- some of my fave fics





	1. Stay focused. Stay Happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor TW for depression/grief- no suicidal thoughts/self-harm but I know first hand that being reminded of some of the bad days can be hard
> 
> Hi everyone! This may or may not be my first fanfic ever (or at least first one to be published) so if it's a little rough around the edges I apologize. I used to write for fun all the time but I haven't for a while, I figured writing about the show I love would be a good way to get back into it. Ironically, Katara was never my fave character, far from it actually, but this is a Katara POV. Also!! If you want a straight to the point 100% zutara fic this is NOT for you. It will get there, and when it does it will be Zutara-centric but it's more of a general AU story that gets pretty in-depth with other characters and emotions besides "ohmygodiloveZuko." (although I do.) If you do want that; feel free to check out my Zutara collection "bestofzutara" I'm always adding new fics from our many amazing authors in the community. Hopefully, I'll do a good enough job with character work and my other plotlines to keep you interested. Welcome to the long haul and I'll see you at the end of the chapter :)  
> P.S- if u know how to put bold/italic text in ao3 pls let me know lol

The unforgiving light of dawn spilled through the window, illuminating a young girl’s bedroom and the girl inside it.

“Shit, what time is it?” the girl mumbled as she began to stir.

As the sun rose higher the light grew brighter, forcing the young girl slumped over at her desk to wake up. The light stretched over her rumpled form, her hair tangled, and her eyes puffy from either crying or a lack of sleep. Judging by the journal on her desk, it’s writing smudged and blurred by wet spots and that the girl was still in day clothes, both seemed to be the case.  
The girl, now awakened and drearily rubbing her eyes, was Katara, and today was her birthday. 

Nights had been like this for a while now. Agonizing and restless. Every summer, as it grew closer to June it got worse. With school out, there was no need for Katara to force herself to sleep or never-ending assignments to distract her. When the sun disappeared from the horizon, all that was left was her and her thoughts. Katara used to love summer, especially summer nights. During the summer the nights were shorter but warmer, and the crisp night air with only a slight chill meant that she could stay out later and the silk darkness of nightfall, coating the trees and her little home felt comforting. The stars and moon piercing it invigorated her. The night used to feel like a new day, the feeling in the night air was one of anticipation and quieted excitement, infinite possibilities or adventures to be had if one could just slip away in it. Now, Katara feels trapped more than anything. When she looked out her window last night the moon felt more like it was taunting her. The soft glow felt like a cruel joke, a stain in the sky placed there to remind her of the past, that feeling, and those memories that she can’t get back. Those happy memories feel as distant now as the moon itself. “You rise with the moon” her mother used to tease. 

Katara checked her phone, the screen’s sudden brightness making her squint. The large white numbers popped up on the screen. 6:15. Damnit. She had crashed again. 

“I’ve got to stop doing this.” she thought as she stood up, her joints stretching and cracking in ways that they probably shouldn’t, but night after night of falling asleep at four in the morning in an uncomfortable desk chair, only to be woken up in a couple of hours does that to you. 

“Well, no point in going back to bed now.” She was far from a morning person, but she had been feeling so off lately it was almost as if she had begun to rise with the sun instead of the moon. Shoving her hair out of her face she gave one last look at the journal laid open on her desk. Dear Mom… she began to read, before shutting it quickly in a desk drawer.  
“Not right now. Today’s a new day. Today's your birthday. Stay focused. Stay happy.” she chanted the mantra to herself as she brushed her hair with shaking hands, the tangled curls continually catching on the bristles. 

“Stay focused. Stay happy,” she repeated. “Take it one step at a time.” she finished in her head as she brushed her teeth. 

“This year will be better. You have a plan. She would want this. One step at a time.” 

Sometimes all you can do is force yourself to take it one step at a time. No matter how small the step may seem, sometimes even getting out of bed can feel monumental. Katara looked at herself in the mirror as she pulled strands from her hair for her usual loops. Yesterday her father told her that she was beginning to look more and more like her mother every day. That was the cause of the latest tear smudged entry in her journal last night. Her father was right, as she grew more into a woman the resemblance to Kya was undeniable. When she was younger she wanted to look like her mother so badly. Looking through old photo albums and seeing pictures of her mom, in high school, in her 20s, when she first met her father, just looking up at her face, there was nothing more beautiful to her.  
“Mommy, will I look like you one day?” she whined. “I want to grow up to be pretty just like you!”  
“Why Katara,” Kya looked down into her daughter’s bright blue eyes. “You’ll grow up to be far more beautiful than me one day, and sweetheart, all you need to look like or be is yourself. That’s the most beautiful thing to be in the whole wide world.”  
Katara’s eyes began to well up. Sometimes she thought she shouldn’t have wished to look like her mother because now that she does, it can be hard to look at her own reflection.

“I’ll leave my hair down today.” the hair loops were enough, she didn’t feel like grappling her hair into a bun, her hands felt too weak. She shuffled over to her dresser to pull out a blue t-shirt and jeans, pausing as she shut the drawer. Her mother’s face looked back at her. Katara had never moved the framed photo since she placed it there, next to her jewelry stand, three years ago. She took the silver necklace off the stand, clasping its delicate chain around her neck. It had been her mother’s necklace. She remembered sitting in her mother’s lap, reaching up to grab at the necklace charm, a small circular pendant with the moon hanging above the ocean carved into it. It wasn’t the most ornate necklace but its beauty was powerful in its simplicity and when she touched it she could feel like her mother was still there with her. Katara changed into her clothes and shoved on her slippers. 

She smiled at her mother’s face in the frame.  
“This year will be better, right?”

Her phone lit up. July 19th. 6:45. New text notification.  
Suki- Happy Birthday!!! Finally 16!! Off to practice rn but I’ll see u later 🥳  
Katara grinned at the notification. Suki was her brother Sokka’s girlfriend since their freshman year, but she had also become one of Katara’s closest friends.  
Katara-Thx! See u soon. Can’t tell who’s more excited, me or Sokka lol  
She had a few texts from family members, but she would get back to them later. She glanced at her phone wallpaper; a photo of her, her mother, father, and Sokka silhouetted against the sun, walking towards the waves of their favorite beach. Sokka was only as tall as their dad’s waist and Katara could just reach her mom’s outstretched hand. She missed those days. That was how their family used to spend her birthday, at the ocean. She quickly made her bed before leaving her room, careful to shut the door quietly as to not wake her brother sleeping down the hallway. 

She repeated her mantra one last time as she walked down the hallway.  
“Stay focused. This is the year Katara. 16. Stay happy. You got this.”

Staying focused and happy is easier said than done when the anniversary of your mom’s death is the day after your birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Congrats on making it to the end of the chapter. Was that too long? I tend to ramble.. as you can also see in my endnotes. First off, I promise it won't always be this depressing/angsty. (I did put it in the tags tho so u were warned) I have a lot of adorable fluffy moments planned, but sometimes life isn't always like that, you know? I've always thought the idea of grief and severe impacts of war could be something to be explored in a complex and interesting way in ATLA, especially with Katara's mom and Sokka losing Yue. They do to an extent, but hey, it's a kid show. I will be exploring those themes in this fic tho, in case you couldn't tell. Also, sad backstory mother angst means more mutual Zutara angst and some deep bonding later. Eventually, it will get fluffier and we'll have more fun Gaang adventures. I have lots of detailed character backstory and ideas planned out so stick around!
> 
> Btw- Katara's mom died more recently in this AU which we'll get into later, and the Gaang is obviously aged up.  
> Btw again- I know the characters have no canon birthdays but just go with it lol. I'm basing their birthdays off an article I found and their zodiac sign elements more or less matching with their nation's element. (plus just their personalities and what seems accurate to me.) So yes, Katara is a cancer, and honestly does she not have such cancer energy? Emotional mom friend vibes to the max.  
> Easter Egg- Katara's birthday is actually the day the original finale aired 
> 
> See you guys next chapter- I swear it'll get happier soon and the notes will get shorter. Lots of love to anyone who even reads this lol


	2. You Can’t Even Win!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a break from the angst for a good ol' family fluff birthday breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone :) or shall I say the void because odds are this fic won't reach anyone else haha. Last chapter too much for you? Here's the first of more lighthearted scenes we'll have to balance it out. Enough babbling; that's at the end of the chapter. Happy reading!  
> P.S- see, I told you not every chapter note would be super long B)

“Provoke.”  
“Physics.”  
“P..pangea?

Katara walked into the kitchen to see her brother and father at the kitchen counter, in a very heated debate. “What are you guys doing?” she asked, quite confused as to what ‘provoke’ and ‘Pangea’ had to do with each other and by the fact that Sokka was willingly making an appearance in daylight before ten am. 

Sokka turned around. “Tara!” he beamed and pulled Katara in for a tight hug. “Y’know, just kicking dad’s butt at our word game.” 

Hakoda chuckled, leaning against the linoleum countertop with a cup of coffee in his hand. “Are you sure about that, son? Pretty sure I’m way ahead.” 

“If I remember correctly, I thought our word game didn’t have any winners. Not to mention you guys are totally playing it wrong. What even is the theme? Katara rolled her eyes as she went over to wrap her dad in a tight hug. “I thought you didn’t get in until tomorrow, dad,” she mumbled into his chest. 

“Well, you know I had to pull a few strings. It isn’t every day your only daughter turns 16.” Hakoda ruffled her hair and gave her a gentle smile. Katara would always be his little girl, and he treasured these moments with his family. Far too often, he had to be away from them. 

“Okay. First of all, our theme is words that start with the letter P. Second of all, I don’t seem to recall my 16th birthday being quite so special,” Sokka sat back down at the counter to eat his cereal, “and most importantly!” he waved his spoon in the air for emphasis, “Everything is a competition if you want it to be. Although this isn’t much of a competition since I’m so clearly winning!” 

“First of all, you’re getting milk all over the counter, you better clean that up later,” Hakoda teased, “and most importantly, I highly disagree with that statement. I’m the obvious winner here.”

Katara laughed as she pulled cereal out of the cabinet. “Letters that start with P? That’s not a theme. No wonder I was so confused when I came downstairs. You know, people, places, things? Not letters.” 

“The Word Game” was a word association game their family used to play all time, typically on road trips. Someone picks a theme, anything from books or musicians to Harry Potter characters, and you went through the alphabet, trying to list as many things under the theme as possible for each letter. Technically it isn’t a competitive game, more just a way to pass the time. Nonetheless it still never failed to provide lots of (friendly)frustration and competition between the participants.

She poured the cereal into her usual bowl, pointedly ignoring the milk carton on the counter. “Actually, I think I’m so confused to see you guys up this early. Sokka, if it wasn’t for work or school, I swear I wouldn’t see you until lunchtime.”

“Woah,woah, woah. SO much to process right now. Did my sister just eat cereal without milk? Yes, I like my beauty sleep. Unlike eating DRY cereal, that’s not a crime. If sleeping in means I don’t have to see you butcher the art of a cereal bowl, fine by me.” shoveling more cereal in his mouth, he continued. “Besides, I have a girlfriend to look good for. This handsome face takes time and care. Thank you very much.” 

“Says the guy who puts the milk first. Besides, you definitely just drank straight out of the carton. No way I’m using that.”

“You have to let it marinate! I-”

“Alright, you two, let’s chill out,” Hakoda said, putting a hand up. “Actually Katara, both Sokka and I got up early to surprise you. We know how much work you do around here, and we figured we would try to have breakfast for you when you woke up.” 

“Aww, Dad, that’s sweet.” Katara looked down at her bowl. “Why are we both eating cereal then?”

“Note that I said we would try.” Hakoda motioned to the sink behind them, filled with a charred frying pan and mess of dishes.

“Ah. I see. A for effort?”

“Hey, it waasss going to be your favorite. Turns out there’s a reason Dad and I don’t do the cooking around here.” Sokka said.

“Better than last year, we managed to get a few steps into the recipe before total disaster,” Hakoda added, “Maybe I printed out a recipe for french toast in French, and that’s why it went wrong.” 

Katara groaned at his attempt in humor. Sokka laughed; he definitely got his sense of humor from their paternal side. “Or you guys really are just terrible cooks. Cereal is fine though, thank you for trying.”

“Only the best for my ‘lil sis, or at least... The attempted best. Forget that burnt toast, happy birthday! 16 is a great year I’m certainly enjoying my last few months of it. Oh, to be so old... One day you’ll understand Katara. Being almost 17 just brings certain wisdom you don’t have.” Sokka said, putting on a mock-serious face. 

Hakoda gave them both a warm smile. “You two really are getting old. I just wish Kya could be here to see it. She would be so proud of you both.” His voice cracked on the last word, his eyes beginning to brim with tears. “Happy birthday Katara. I only wish I could do more for you.” He set his mug down on the counter slowly.

Katara and Sokka rushed over to give their dad a hug and the three of them stood for a moment, their arms wrapped around each other tightly. The distinct smell of burnt food wafting from the sink, the busy road outside, the splintering floor of their small apartment, none of it mattered. They had each other. Sometimes that’s all you have, the people you care about, and sometimes that’s all you need. 

“Hey, guess who’s visiting?” Sokka said, breaking the silence.

“Uhh... Suki?” 

“No, someone else. Here’s a hint; we haven’t seen her in a long time.”

“That’s for later, Sokka! Don’t go ruining the one surprise we have left.” Hakoda said. “Speaking of surprises, Katara, would you like your presents now or at the party later?”

“By party, you mean just us and my one friend? Yeah, sure.” Katara said dryly. “For now, let’s just sit down and finish our cereal. Up for a new round of the word game? This time with the actual rules.”

Hakoda put a hand on her shoulder. “That sounds great.” 

The trio sat down in their living room, which was just two steps away from the kitchen. Their apartment was relatively small, with the kitchen and living room being one general area separated by the kitchen island. When looking for a place to live, getting bedrooms for Sokka and Katara was the main priority, not so much generous living space. A sofa, chair, and TV were all they needed. Since Hakoda was away for work most of the time, they didn’t use the space often. 

“Alright, for a theme how about soccer players?” Sokka said.

“No way, unfair advantage to you and birthday girl chooses,” Katara interjected. “Let’s start off with something simple. Musicians or bands. Go, letter A.

“Hmm… Aretha Franklin, Alice Cooper, AC/DC…” Hakoda started.

“Too easy, Katara! ABBA, boom.” Sokka interrupted. He loved cheesy 70s and 80s music. “Aerosmith, Altered Images, Arctic Monkeys, Avril Lavine, ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, need I go on? I’ve already won.”

“Sokka, for the last time, you can’t win! Besides, we have 25 letters to go.” Katara said.

“Uh, I disagree. Who just listed more bands? ME. Just try and show me up!”

“Uhm… Amy Whinehouse. Ashe...This isn’t fair; you took them all!”

“Sounds like the excuses of someone who just got their butt kicked to me.” 

“You can’t even win! Whatever, B. Go. 

“Blondie, Biggie Smalls…”

The living room was warm and cozy, the little family inside was happy. Laughter reverberated off the walls, many exasperated sighs and eye rolls were shared (typically aimed at Sokka), sips of coffee, and proud parental smiles, they were safe and content. For the moment, Katara could put aside her worries. She stayed focused and happy. Her mother was watching over them somewhere, but right now, Katara was right where she needed to be, having fun with her brother and father. She was just Katara, happy, and sixteen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the end! Whew, was this one rough to write. Honestly, angsty inner dialogue like the last chapter comes easier to me than fun fluff scenes sometimes. Maybe it's because I have more personal experience with angsty late-night inner struggles than cute happy family bonding. (Hello, Zuko here.)  
> The next couple of chapters will prob be hard technical wise because I have to figure out how to introduce elements of Sokka and Katara's backstory in the AU. I've had these character details planned out since the beginning and it's important to their characters but just not sure how to do that first explanation. Hmm, outline time?  
> Also- an important note!! If you noticed, Katara said "my one friend." so yes, Suki is that one friend, and the Gang isn't around yet. I'm taking some inspiration from the canon plot when it comes to the general timeline, so think of right now as Katara and Sokka still at the South Pole, before meeting Aang and Toph. Pre-Gaang adventures! (Technically, they have left the South Pole, but that's next chapter details) We'll see some modern AU versions of canon moments or references to them. In the first description; I said Katara has had a rough last couple of years. We'll get into that next chapter and throughout the story. 
> 
> Anyways, Yay for Dadkoda and a healthy family dynamic. See you next time! Who will the surprise guest be??


	3. I’m sixteen. I want to feel like it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara thinks about what she wants to do this year, a mysterious boy’s instagram account catches her eye, a fun FaceTime call with Suki, getting ready for her “party” and lots of character backstory explanations for good measure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Long time no see. I’ve been wanting to update for so long it’s been killing me, but I had to evacuate my house because of wildfires so I haven’t been able to write. I don’t have access to my home computer for the reasons I just talked about, but I said fuck it and decided to finish the chapter on my school laptop, which means that my school admins can now see that I have an obsession with Zutara. I can’t access ao3 on that computer though, the site is blocked so I’m uploading on my phone. If there’s formatting issues, bear with me and I apologize in advance. It was just killing me not to update. Anyways, happy reading. I’m pretty proud of this one!

June was the month Katara’s life had turned upside down. Her birthday, her mom’s death, the move, it had all happened so fast. Looking back on that month three years ago, it was all a blur, a vague, painful blur. How could something equivalent to a minute in her memory completely change everything? Maybe those few weeks were hard to remember because that was when grief had won. It had beaten all of them. Her mother’s death brought them together, uniting them in a way that only experiencing the same horrendous thing can, but when it actually happened three years ago, the weeks following were the most alone Katara had ever felt. They were all so shocked by what had happened; they were immobilized by their own grief and couldn’t find it in themselves to comfort each other. Grief was ugly, a seeping shadowy mark fighting to spread and consume them every day.

It had gotten easier over the years. At first, it didn’t seem real, then it was an overwhelming sadness, and for a while, it had been anger. Angry at the world, for being so cruel, just angry at everyone. Now, for the most part, Katara accepted it, but she still felt angry sometimes, and sad. June was the hardest month to get through. It made what had happened to her mother feel fresh in her mind as memories were brought to the surface, reminders of her mother, and her old life seemingly showed up everywhere. That was the thing Katara hated most about grief. It could make even her happiest memories sad ones. It tainted good things, washing over everything with a heavy, bitter, brush. What mattered most, though, was that grief hadn’t won. Even if she had to fight a bit harder for a while, grief isn’t consuming her any time soon. Not ever.

After breakfast, Katara was feeling better and went back to her room to have some time to herself. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all. Breakfast had been pleasant, Suki was coming over soon, and there was that surprise guest to look forward to as well. Katara wasn’t sure who it was. She hoped it was Gran-Gran, but Sokka had told her she had important stuff going on back on the reservation and couldn’t make it. That had hurt. If Gran Gran couldn’t leave, why didn’t they visit? They hadn’t gone back once, and she missed the place.

Katara, Sokka, and Hakoda used to live on the reservation. Their family had lived there for generations. Some of Katara’s first memories were running around the grounds with Sokka. When she had gotten older, she wanted to leave, as does everyone at some point, when they still clung unto the naive hope they could do so. She wanted to see the outside world, have a chance for the opportunities everyone outside got, even though she would have to work a hundred times harder for them. When they did leave, though, it wasn’t under the circumstances she had dreamt of, and suddenly, she didn’t want to at all. She felt so small and scared, wanting to cling to familiarity and the few comforting things she had left. 

Only a few days after her mother’s death, Hakoda had told them to pack their bags. He tried to stay strong for them, but he was hurting too, in a way he couldn’t explain to his children. The love of his life, the person who had made his world, who made the stars shine at night and the sun shine in the daytime was suddenly ripped from him, and he knew he couldn’t spend another day there. Everything was Kya. When he rolled over in the morning, he still expected to see her smiling at him. The sheets still had traces of her smell, vanilla, rosemary, and sweat from hours of hard work. He couldn’t bring himself to wash them. He couldn’t wake up in the bed he had just embraced her in only a few nights ago, he couldn’t spend another day in the home he had sworn to spend the rest of his life in with her, the floorboards scarred with loss, the walls etched with what could have been. So he didn’t. One day, he started packing and told the kids to do the same. It didn’t take long, they didn’t have many belongings, and what was left behind could be replaced, eventually. They spent a couple of months calling in favors, relying on others' hospitality, couch surfing, going wherever they could until they could find a place of their own. Hakoda was lucky to have made connections outside the reservation and extremely lucky that they were able to help him find a permanent place to stay. By the time 8th grade started, 9th for Sokka, they had more or less found their footing. They moved into the apartment they live in now and Hakoda found work. Almost no one was ever able to make it out of the reservation and they all knew how much of an anomaly it was and how fortunate they were, but that didn’t make it any easier when Hakoda’s new job required him to work long hours, even longer than he had to back on the reservation. Now that he had to support the two of them entirely on his own, without Kya or their community, it was hard not to be able to see his kids that often. Money was almost always tight and there had been a few times when the power had been shut off because they couldn’t make the bill in time, but they had a fresh start, and Katara and Sokka knew he did his absolute best for them and never dreamed to ask of anything more. The past couple of years had been a struggle, but they had shown them that if nothing else, all you truly need is the people you care about.

Katara stood in her room. What should she do? She wanted to be alone, so she had excused herself after breakfast, but now she had no idea of what to do next. Yet another disagreeable thing about summer, it was filled with stretches of time of absolute boredom. Not to mention sweating all the time and feeling like you were inexplicably missing out on something. She began to pace around her room, the heat of the day frustrating her. Pausing, she looked over at her desk and decided to write another entry in her journal. She pulled out the journal and flipped it open to a new page, flopping onto her bed to write. The journal had been her birthday gift last year from her dad, a small blue book, the same color as her eyes, with her initials stamped into the front cover. He told her that her mother used to journal all the time, so it was another way of connecting with her.   
  


The young girl frowned in concentration and twirled the pen in between her fingers. She didn’t feel like writing another tearful letter to her mother or some tangent about still having hope for the future. She wanted to start off with something simple. 

_10 things I want to do by the time I’m 17_ she scrawled on the page.

 _*or preferably by the end of sophomore year*_ she added. She twirled the pen in between her fingers again, only to drop it on the page, leaving a mark. She never could quite pull off the stupid tricks Sokka always showed off.

_1\. Get good grades_

_2\. Read 10 books_

“How boring.” she thought. Sophomore year was supposed to be fun, right? The year of firsts and adventures. She could do better than that.

_3\. Get out of my comfort zone/Try something new/ have an adventure?_

“Too vague,” she muttered, furrowing her brow. 

_4\. Get my drivers license_

_5\. Join a new club_

_6\. Make a new friend_

Katara sighed at that one. The move had really impacted her whole ‘friend situation’. Meaning, she didn’t really have any. Mainly just Suki and other girls that she talked to in class or at school but those friendships never made it off school grounds. She longed for a dynamic and tight-knit friend group like all the characters in her favorite books and TV shows. Summer would probably go by a lot quicker if she had people to spend it with.

_7\. Go to the school dance_

Again, a situation one typically avoids if they don’t have people to go with. Third-wheeling with Suki and Sokka was tolerable but school dances were really just an excuse for everyone to make out and dance a bit too close, none of which Katara particularly felt enthusiastic about seeing her brother doing. She had already caught them in some heated moments quite a few times, but two straight hours of it was far beyond her limits.

_8\. Volunteer? Get a job?_

_9\. Go on a road trip?_

Katara was running out of ideas. Who knew trying to have fun could be so difficult.

_10\. Get a boyfriend_

She frowned again. No, that’s stupid. The last thing she needed was more drama and stress, both of which were inevitable with a high school relationship. She had other things to focus on. Like actual school, for one. She uncapped the pen to scratch the last part out, but paused. She decided not to. It may be ridiculous, but part of her wanted some sort of whirlwind romance. 

\-------\\******/---------

Katara was sprawled on her back, her arms up in the air holding her phone above her face as she scrolled. Neverending, summer boredom. She dragged the top of the screen to refresh. No new posts. For so-called endless entertainment, social media sure was boring. She scrolled back through her Instagram feed, staring blankly at the same posts. She paused at the _suggested accounts_ tab, there were a couple of girls she recognized from school. She went to their profiles. Bikini pics, selfies, all of the accounts looked the same. She hesitated at a girl named Song’s account. She knew her. They had freshman bio together last year. Her finger hovered over the follow button, but swiped back, deciding against it. She knew her, but she didn’t _know_ her. She didn’t want to be weird and break some sort of unspoken Instagram social etiquette rule. She scrolled through the profiles. Some middle-aged lady that she definitely didn’t know named Joo Dee. Where did they get these recommendations? Maybe she should add one of them. That could be a way to make a new friend. Did you make friends over Instagram? Some random clothing business. Another middle-aged person. A girl named On-Ji. She looked nice. Katara looked at her profile. Never mind, she was a middle schooler. Again, with the recommendations. Random celebrities. Wait, who was that? She stopped at the next account in the list, squinting at the profile photo. A boy around her age, with scruffy black hair cut close to his head and golden eyes. He looked vaguely familiar. 

A reminder popped on the top of her screen:

 **12:00-** _Get dressed! Happy birthday bitch B)_

Katara rolled off her bed. Is this really how she was spending her first day as a sixteen-year-old? Scrolling on her phone? She went to the boy’s account. No bio. Private. Katara shrugged and exited Instagram, turning off her phone. Time to get ready for her birthday.

What does one wear for their sweet sixteen? The birthday didn’t mean much in Katara’s culture, it seemed to mean something mainly just in high school movies. Still, one can’t help feeling some anticipation. What outfit shows that you’re really a teenager now? That you’re in the supposed prime of your youth? Suki told her not to stress over being sixteen, that the whole sweet sixteen things didn’t actually mean anything and it was just another way for corporations to profit off teenage girls and their insecurities. Katara grinned at the memory of her friend engaged in one of her passionate rants and decided to call her. She didn’t exactly have a crazy party to dress up for and a huge mansion staircase to dramatically walk down to show off her outfit but she could always use some suggestions. 

“Hey, birthday girl! What’s up?” Suki answered on the second ring, her face bobbing in and out of frame.

“Seems like I could be asking you the same thing. Where are you?” Katara said

Suki laughed in response, although it was interrupted by her heavy breathing. “I’m on my way home right now,” she explained, “but I had to go for a run today after practice. You know, summer conditioning and we never get a break. Hold on, I’m gonna put you in my pocket so I can sprint the last few blocks. You can keep talking.” 

The screen turned black as FaceTime Katara was shoved into the netting of Suki’s leggings pockets. She took the opportunity to walk over to her dresser, setting her phone on top and pulling off her shirt, looking for something new in the drawers. “Okay, well, while you’re torturing yourself I’m going to try to pick out something to wear this afternoon.” She pulled out a few shirts and frowned, weighing her options. “Any suggestions?” she leaned forward to get in shot of the speakers.

“Why are you stressing?” Suki replied, voice breaking up with panting and poor connection. “It’s just going to be me and your family. If anything, I should be the one stressing since I have to talk to Hakoda for like, three straight hours.”

This time, Katara laughed. “Suki, don’t be ridiculous. He likes you, you guys just haven’t had a chance to get to know each other that well. He’s always been heading out the door to work or super tired on his days off when you’ve seen him.” Katara didn’t add that that’s how it typically was with her and her dad too. “And I know it's just us, but I don’t know, I’m sixteen. I wanna feel like it.”

Katara heard a door slam over the phone and Suki pant a hello to someone, presumably her mom or dad before the sound of pounding footsteps upstairs. She was familiar with the routine, Katara had FaceTimed Suki a few times on her runs. Another door slammed, more footsteps, a pause and then Katara saw her friend’s face again, now in her bathroom and pulling her hair out of a short ponytail. Suki turned to face her, adjusting her phone on the shelf before speaking. 

“Alright, I’m back from my run and here to address all your pressing fashion concerns.” She ran her hand through her sweaty hair. “Speaking of, three miles and nineteen minutes!” Katara’s friend beamed. “I would have beaten my record too if you hadn’t interrupted me.” 

Katara stuck her tongue out at her jokingly. “Sorry about that,” she said, more sincerely.

“No worries, I have all summer to beat my record. But my best friend’s sixteenth birthday? Now that’s a once in a lifetime experience.” Suki went off-screen to wash her face, based on the sounds of splashing and running water.

Katara groaned. “Don’t remind me. Sixteenth birthday pressure is getting to me.”

Suki popped back on screen, patting her face dry with a towel. “I told you already, don’t worry about it! It’s all a capitalist scheme anyway. Just go with something simple. You don’t need a fancy dress, just go with something that’s everyday but still makes you feel sexy and badass. Skinny jeans, a shirt, and some earrings. Basic but a baddie.” She nodded solidly after her statement, now brushing out her hair. 

Katara smiled. She had learned to appreciate the little things like this, getting ready over FaceTime with your best friend. Katara picked up her top options she had pulled out at the beginning of the call and held them up for her friend to judge.

“What do you think?” She frowned as she looked expectantly at her phone. “Suki, where did you go?” instead of her friend’s face she had been met with a grey pause screen.

Suki appeared back on the call, fumbling back to put her phone back in the right place. “Sorry, just got a text from Sokka,” she muttered.

Katara rolled her eyes. “Whatever, just one of the perks of sharing my best friend with my brother. Anyways, which one do you think?” She held up the two shirts. 

“Oh..” Suki said distractedly. “Well you always look good in blue..”

Katara narrowed her eyes, noticing the flush on her friend’s face. Suki had long since recovered from her run. This blush was recent. “Mmhmm.” she rolled her eyes again. “Well, word of advice, don’t get caught doing whatever that text was about at my house later. My dad may have let one walked-in-on makeout session slide, but I wouldn’t recommend it happening again if you do want to make a good impression on him.” 

Suki’s flush deepened and she put her hand over her mouth. “Oh god, don’t remind me, I’ve been trying to suppress that for so long,” she said, mortified and muffled behind her hand. 

Katara waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. My dad was surprised when it happened but he wasn’t angry. It was Sokka, he probably assumed that type of stuff was going on. If it was _me_ on the other hand, well that would have been a different story. Another advantage of being a dude, you’re allowed to makeout without being judged and getting a _you’ll always be my little girl_ speech.” she drawled mockingly.

Suki gave her a small smile, still a bit embarrassed at the thought of old memories. “Well, that’s our society for ya, the patriarchy is part of everything. What I was going to say though, before our little interruption,” she closed her eyes, shaking her head briefly before continuing, “is that you always look great in blue,” she gestured to the pale blue bodysuit Katara was holding, with white lace along the neckline, “but why not spice things up? I’ve only seen you in it a few times, but you look absolutely killer in red.” She pointed at the shirt in Katara’s other hand. “New year, new color scheme?” she suggested with a smile.

Katara looked at the red shirt skeptically. “I do like it..” she said, biting her lip,” but it’s a bit… bold.”

“Exactly. You said you wanted to feel sixteen, right? There won’t be any cute guys at your party, besides your brother of course,” Suki gave her a mischievous grin, “but it’s fun to feel sexy, just for yourself. If it’s totally out of your comfort zone go with the blue, but the red shirt really isn’t that bad, and like I said, feeling bad, as in _baddd_ is great. Why not impress yourself and show up as the baddest bitch to your own party?” 

“We gotta stop calling it that. It’s just going to be us. But..” she held the shirt out in front of her, inspecting it. Maybe she did want to feel a little sexy. She was sixteen after all. “Alright. I’ll wear it. With hoops right? Black jeans for contrast? Or is that a bit too much?” She beamed. Being sixteen could be fun.

Suki squealed in excitement. “Yess! She’s going for it! Now I feel like we should invite some guys just for you to totally blow them out of the water. But uhh… one hundred percent go for the hoops, ooh, and wear your hair down! Black jeans would look good but… maybe just blue today. No need to totally go crazy. Let’s keep some classic Katara with the blue jeans.” 

Katara smiled again, pulling out some jeans and putting away the blue shirt. The red shirt really wasn’t that bad. The sweetheart neckline did plunge a bit, but it wasn’t cropped, and the slightly puffed sleeves went down to her elbows. “What are you going to wear?” she asked, pulling the shirt on.

“Oh, just the usual.” Suki responded, holding up a cropped black camisole with a fairly deep v-neck and some green cargo pants. “I know the cargo pants might seem like a weird choice, but I think if I cinch the waistline it’ll make a cool silhouette. Not to mention, make my waist look cinched too.” She laughed.

Katara laughed with her, putting on the skinny jeans Suki had suggested. _This is what sixteen should be like_ , she thought, snorting with laughter at a memory Suki brought up about Sokka. He really shouldn’t have tried that cactus juice. She brushed out her hair, turning to her friend to ask another fashion question.

The girls laughed together, joking and pulling faces as they tried to get their makeup right, getting frustrated when the wing of their eyeliner was off. This is what sixteen should be like, a collection of bright moments, unhindered by the world around you, simply enjoying life. Katara hoped sixteen would be filled with them. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the end! I hope you liked it. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Nice blend of fluff and character moments but also angst and tragic backstory. 
> 
> I'm pretty sure from a technical standpoint, I’m not supposed to break viewpoint and explain Hakoda’s emotions, but I kept it in any way because that part lowkey breaks my heart every time. Writing about the loss of their mother, especially to Hakoda and the move was something I was worried about pulling off but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. Also; katara feeling pressure over turning 16 and having high expectations is something I really relate to. The glamorization of high school is something a lot of my friends relate to so I kind of included that in the story, society really has us thinking high school is going to be the highlight of our life huh 
> 
> Also, more Suki! Yay! Yay for feminist badass athlete suki! I love her and Katara’s interactions in this chapter, and I’m looking forward to developing their dynamic, and the Sukka dynamic more like I’ve planned. Like I've said before, character moments and dialogue can take me a bit longer to write but hopefully, it came across authentic. 
> 
> I was worried over writing about social media and ft calls without it seeming cheesy or cheap? If that makes any sense? Hopefully, I did a good job on that one. These notes are basically just me worrying about everything lmao. 
> 
> Also yay for Zuko breadcrumbs! See you next chapter, hopefully, I’ll be able to update sooner. With school starting and being evacuated it’s difficult. Sorry for the long notes! Kudos to you if you read them <3


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